PRIME MINISTER
FOR PRESS: PM's 84/ 72.
AUSTRALIA/ JAPAN MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE
Statement by the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon. William McMahon, CH, MP..
e The Prime Minister, the Rt Hon. William McMahon, announced
today that the. f. ir'-meeting of the Australia / Japan Ministerial
Committee uould be held in Canberra on 12 and 13. October.
Mr McMahon recalled that the establishment of the Committee.
ad. been agreed when the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade
and Industry, Mr J. D. Anthony, had visited Japan last year. The first
meeting had. been tentatively scheduled for earlier this year, but had
been postponed because of the change of Government in Japan.
The. Prime Minister said that -the meeting would discuss the
general setting in which the Committeewas beginning its work and the
broad directions in which bilateral relations between Australia and
Japan were developing; international and national-economic and
financial issues; multilateral trade matters; bilateral trade;
ergy and -natural--resources; transportation matters;. . and Papua
w Guinea-matters.
The Japanese., side, Mr McMahon said, would be led by the.
Foreign Minister, Mr Ohira, who would have with him Mr Nakasone,
ae Minister for--In-ternational-Trade and Industry, Mr Sasaki, the
nister for Transportation, Mr Adachi, the Minister -for Agriculture
and Porestry, and Mr-Arita, the Director-General of the Economic
Planning Agency. The five Japanese Ministers would._ beaccompanied
by their wives. Mr McMahon said that the Australian Ministers involved in
the. meeting, which would be chaired by the Foreign Minister, Mr
Bowen, would. be.-the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade
and Industry, Mr Anthony the Treasurer, Mr Snedden; the Minister
for Primary Industry, Mr Sinclair; the Minister for National
Development, Sir Reginald Swartz; the Minister for Shipping and
Transport -Mr-Nixon; the Minister for CiviLA" iation-,--Senator -Cotton;
and the Minister.. for External Territories, Mr Peacock, who would be
supported by the Chief Minister of Papua New Guinea, Mr Somare, in
the discvssion of matters affecting Papua New Guinea. / 2

In drawing attention to the significance-which each. side,
by the strength of its representation, clearly attached-to-. the meeting,
the Prime Minister emphasised " the importance of the Ministerial
Committee in developing further the economic, trade and commercial
relationships between Australiaand Japan to the advantage and
satisfaction of both, and as part of the overall effort to strengthen
the whole range of links between the two countries".
Mr McMahon said he was confident thathe value of the
initiative taken by the two governments in establishing the Committee
would be demonstrated over the years by the work of the Committee.
Important developments were afoot in the world economy, and Japan
and Australia were each playing their full part in those developments.
It was clearly of the first importance that the two countries,
already closely linked in many ways, should continue to consult
closely both in respecct of their bilateral relations and of the
Smany issues arising in multilateral forums. " The Ministerial
W Committee will play a principal part in ensuring this," Mr McMahon
said. Canberra 27 September 1972